Rishikesh, India: Yoga Capital of the World

Rishikesh attracts a certain type of traveler. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas along the northern banks of the Ganges River, Rishikesh has been a site of pilgrimage for Hindus venturing north into the “Land of the Gods” since the ninth century. Appropriately, many of the town’s non-Indian visitors are also on a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts, one which usually involves a lot of yoga and meditation.

Touted as the yoga capital of the world, Rishikesh began to gain popularity with western travelers in the early 1970s, when the Beatles left England behind for the Rishikesh ashram of their then guru, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Although the Beatles stint in Rishikesh only spanned a few weeks, the legacy that their voyage left behind lives to this day.

Travelers of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds can be found in Rishikesh, although most are united by their desire to take advantage of the community’s many ashrams and yoga schools. Yoga courses in a number of different traditions are available to students of all levels at a price that even the most prudent of budget travelers can afford.

There two most common ways to engage in a yoga course in Rishikesh are by staying in a hotel and taking lessons at a nearby centre or by plunging into the full-yoga experience by staying in an ashram. The former is the best idea for travelers who wish to dabble in yoga without having to regiment themselves to the strict routine of ashram life. Ashram stays are ideal for yoga students who have a little more time (many ashrams enforce minimum required stays, usually of no less than two weeks).

Although yoga courses are the major pull for many travelers, Rishikesh certainly has a lot more to offer. Meditation courses and lectures are abundant, and often come as part of packaged yoga classes. Courses in cooking, Hindi, traditional Indian dance (Kathak), music, and Reiki healing are also popular.

Don’t feel like turning your holiday into a study session? No worries, there’s still plenty to do. You can take a rafting trip, trek to Gangotri, the source of the Ganges, relax with an Ayurvedic massage or head down to one of the sandy beaches on the banks of the Ganges (the water is clean enough for swimming). However, if yoga just isn’t your thing, then you may want to limit your stay in Rishikesh to a couple of days.